Oct. 8, 2018
08:07 pm JST

Oct. 8, 2018
10:00 pm JST

Chip Star:

The best thing he could do is donate a certain percentage of his royalties to disaster relief agencies

How do you know he does not do that already?

I will not be happy if I were one of the victims and if he has to sacrifice his writings. I'd rather see him do what he does best: writing. I do not think I am alone in thinking that way. It's rather one of established cultures of mutual help here: you don't divide people into the benevolent and the helpless.

Oct. 9, 2018
07:50 am JST

Oct. 9, 2018
09:09 am JST

I'm not a fan of Murakami's fiction, but I thought Underground was brilliant. He did the job that a non-fiction writer does - he wrote about a major event, he made it more real to the reader, and he contributed to our collective understanding of what happened on that day, and our sympathies for those who suffered. Those things can translate into positive benefits for the victims, and as a writer that is indeed the best thing he can do for them.

Have any of the negative commenters above even bothered to read it?

And on what basis do all you cynics assume you know anything about his private donations? I could assume that you might be looking for ways to excuse your own lack of generosity when it comes to making donations, but I don't assume that, because what do I know about what you do with your money?

Oct. 9, 2018
02:29 pm JST

And on what basis do all you cynics assume you know anything about his private donations? I could assume that you might be looking for ways to excuse your own lack of generosity when it comes to making donations, but I don't assume that, because what do I know about what you do with your money?

If Murakami made donations, the article would have mentioned it because of the topic. It could be shite reporting.

Oct. 9, 2018
02:37 pm JST

If Murakami made donations, the article would have mentioned it because of the topic.

Pure, unadulterated guesswork and supposition. Since you were criticising someone else for allegedly not making donations, I would have thought you'd bolster your case by making your own public. You chose not to, as do I. Doesn't mean I make assumptions about you.

Oct. 11, 2018
09:49 am JST

Underground was brilliant. I was on the subway that morning, during the event. Rode through the deserted Kasumigaseki station on the last train before everything was shut down. It was terrifying once we started to learn what was going on and it continued to be confusing and terrifying for months.

Journalists write to sell papers, get views. They tend to be overly dramatic.

Underground was brilliant. Very deeply researched and simply but beautifully written. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.

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